JP6612947B2 - Substrate transport apparatus and substrate transport method using the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate transfer apparatus and a substrate transfer method using the same. In particular, the present invention relates to a substrate transport apparatus capable of obtaining a high throughput and a substrate transport method using the same.

  Conventionally, techniques described in Patent Documents 1 to 4 have been proposed as prior arts related to a substrate transport apparatus that transports a substrate to a chamber for performing processing such as etching and film formation on the substrate. Patent Document 1 proposes a so-called cluster-type substrate transport apparatus, and there is, for example, a substrate transport apparatus shown in FIG. 9 as a cluster-type substrate transport apparatus. The conventional substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 9 includes a vacuum transfer chamber 5 having a substantially hexagonal shape in plan view, and two hermetic transfer chambers 3 called load locks connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 5. The two chambers C connected to the vacuum transfer chamber 5 are in a vacuum environment, and the substrate is subjected to processing such as etching. A substrate storage portion 21 that can store a plurality of substrates is disposed in the load lock 3. The vacuum transfer chamber 5 has an alignment unit 22 that adjusts the position of the substrate, holds the substrate at one end, the other end is fixed to the vacuum transfer chamber 5, and one end can be displaced with respect to the other end. And a robot 6. The vacuum robot 6 can transfer the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit 21 to the alignment unit 22 by displacing the position of the one end from the substrate storage unit 21 to the alignment unit 22. The substrate whose position is adjusted by the alignment unit 22 can be transferred to the chamber C by displacing from the chamber C to the chamber C, and the processing in the chamber C can be performed by displacing the position of one end from the chamber C to the substrate storage unit 21. The substrate thus obtained can be transferred to the substrate storage unit 21. Since the vacuum robot 6 provided in the vacuum transfer chamber 5 transfers the substrate to the chamber C in a vacuum environment, the vacuum transfer chamber 5 is also in a vacuum environment. The load lock 3 is an airtight chamber in which the room can be switched between an atmospheric environment and a vacuum environment. By switching the interior of the load lock 3 to a vacuum environment, the vacuum robot 6 can transport the substrate to the substrate storage unit 21 while the vacuum transfer chamber 5 maintains the vacuum environment.

  In the conventional substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 9, after the processing in the chamber C is performed on the substrate, the processed substrate, which is the substrate processed by the vacuum robot 6 in the chamber C, is transferred from the chamber C to the vacuum transfer chamber 5. A transporting step, a step in which the vacuum robot 6 transports the processed substrate from the vacuum transport chamber 5 to the substrate storage unit 21, and a vacuum robot 6 transports the unprocessed substrate stored in the substrate storage unit 21 to the alignment unit 22. The step, the alignment unit 22 adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate, and the vacuum robot 6 transports the unprocessed substrate from the alignment unit 22 to the chamber C are executed.

JP 11-168129 A JP-A-8-111449 JP-A-11-195688 JP 2005-322762 A

Even if the operation time of the substrate transfer apparatus is the same, a substrate transfer apparatus in which the number of substrates to be processed in the chamber is increased, that is, a substrate transfer apparatus with high throughput is desired. In order to obtain high throughput, it is conceivable to prepare to transfer an unprocessed substrate, which is a substrate not subjected to the processing in the chamber, to the chamber while the processing in the chamber is performed on the substrate.
However, in the conventional substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 9, if preparation is made to transfer an unprocessed substrate to the chamber C while processing is performed on the substrate in the chamber C, an unprocessed portion is processed at one end of the vacuum robot 6. Since the substrate is held, the vacuum robot 6 cannot transfer the processed substrate from the chamber C to the vacuum transfer chamber 5. In other words, after the processing in the chamber C is performed on the substrate, the above-described steps are executed to prepare for transporting the unprocessed substrate to the chamber C, which makes it difficult to obtain high throughput.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate transport apparatus capable of obtaining a high throughput and a substrate transport method using the same.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to a chamber for processing a substrate, wherein the substrate transfer device and a first substrate that is provided in the atmosphere transfer unit and transfers the substrate. An airtight transfer chamber that is connected in a horizontal direction to the atmospheric transfer unit and connected in a horizontal direction to the chamber, and is capable of switching the chamber between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment; and the airtight transfer And a second transfer means for transferring a substrate provided in the chamber, wherein the first transfer means is capable of storing a plurality of substrates, and a substrate storage section for storing the substrates stored in the substrate storage section. And an atmospheric transfer mechanism capable of being transferred to the chamber, wherein the second transfer means is rotatable about a vertical rotation axis, and is positioned at both ends of the rotation axis. A movable holding portion having two substrate holding portions; The movable holding unit is moved back and forth in the direction of connection between the operation and to rotate such that the substrate holder in the chamber of the airtight transport chamber is located opposite the front Symbol chamber, the airtight transport chamber and the chamber operation and I independently executable der to, after the substrate holder is rotated so that the position facing the chamber, is capable of advancing and retreating in the direction of connection between the airtight transport chamber and the chamber The substrate holding unit can hold the substrate transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber when the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism is displaced to the substrate holding unit, and the movable holding unit rotates. By moving forward and backward together, the substrate transported by the atmospheric transport mechanism and held by the one substrate holder can be transported from the hermetic transport chamber to the chamber, and the other substrate positioned in the chamber A substrate held by a holding unit can be transferred from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber, and the atmospheric transfer mechanism can hold the other substrate by displacing the position of the one end to the other substrate holding unit. Provided is a substrate transfer apparatus characterized in that a substrate held by a portion is held by the one end and can be transferred to the substrate storage portion.
Preferably, the movable holding unit has a position where the substrate holding unit faces the chamber in a state where the gate valve located between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber is closed in the airtight transfer chamber. It is possible to perform a rotating operation.
Preferably, the second transport unit further includes a rotation mechanism and an advance / retreat mechanism, and the advance / retreat mechanism includes an advance / retreat unit and a transport rail, and the rotation mechanism includes An elevating means provided below the advancing / retracting mechanism and capable of moving up and down, a rotation motor attached to the elevating means, a rotation shaft attached to the rotation motor, and an attachment to the rotation shaft The forward / backward movement portion has a first through hole through which the rotation shaft and the support portion can be inserted, and the transport rail can be inserted through the rotation shaft and the support portion. A second through hole, and the movable holding portion is fitted to the first through hole and the distal end portion of the rotating shaft inserted through the second through hole, and the movable holding portion is rotated with the rotation. A recess having a shape that can rotate integrally with the moving shaft is provided. To have.
Preferably, the first transport means includes an alignment unit, and the atmospheric transport mechanism can transport the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to the alignment unit, and the position is adjusted by the alignment unit. The substrate can be transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber.

According to the substrate transfer apparatus of the present invention, the hermetic transfer chamber is connected to the atmospheric transfer unit in the horizontal direction and connected to the chamber for processing the substrate in the horizontal direction. Since the first transfer means is provided in the atmospheric transfer section and the second transfer means is provided in the airtight transfer chamber, the first transfer means and the second transfer are performed while the substrate is being processed in the chamber. The means can be operated. Since the movable holding unit has two substrate holding units, the substrate whose position is adjusted by the alignment unit is held by one substrate holding unit while the substrate is being processed in the chamber. This substrate holding unit can hold another substrate without holding the substrate. For this reason, the substrate transport apparatus according to the present invention can perform the substrate transport method described later, and as a result, can obtain a high throughput.
The atmospheric transfer mechanism can transfer the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to the alignment unit, and can transfer the substrate whose position is adjusted by the alignment unit to the hermetic transfer chamber. Specifically, the atmospheric transfer mechanism holds the substrate at one end, the other end is fixed to the atmospheric transfer unit, and the one end is displaceable with respect to the other end. More specifically, the atmospheric transfer mechanism can transfer the substrate stored in the substrate storage portion to the alignment portion by displacing the position of the one end portion from the substrate storage portion to the alignment portion, and aligns the position of the one end portion. The substrate whose position is adjusted by the alignment unit can be transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber by displacing from the substrate to the hermetic transfer chamber, and held at the substrate holding unit by displacing the position of one end from the substrate holding unit to the substrate storage unit. The substrate to be transferred can be transferred to the substrate storage portion. That is, the substrate can be transferred between the atmospheric transfer unit and the airtight transfer chamber of the atmospheric environment by the atmospheric transfer mechanism. On the other hand, the movable holding portion rotates and moves forward and backward, so that the substrate transferred by the atmospheric transfer mechanism and held by one substrate holding portion can be transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber, and the other is located in the chamber. The substrate held by the substrate holding unit can be transferred from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber. Specifically, the movable holding unit rotates and moves to the chamber so that the one substrate holding unit faces the chamber, whereby the substrate conveyed by the atmospheric transfer mechanism and held by the one substrate holding unit is hermetically sealed. It can be transferred from the transfer chamber to the chamber. Further, when the movable holding part is retracted from the chamber, the substrate positioned in the chamber and held by another substrate holding part can be transferred from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber. That is, the movable holding unit can transfer the substrate between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber in a vacuum environment. Furthermore, since the movable holding part can be rotated around the vertical rotation axis, each substrate holding part can be opposed to the atmospheric transfer part. For this reason, the board | substrate hold | maintained in the said another board | substrate holding | maintenance part can be easily conveyed by an atmospheric conveyance mechanism. By switching the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber between the atmospheric environment and the vacuum environment, the substrate can be transferred between the atmospheric transfer unit in the atmospheric environment and the chamber in the vacuum environment.
Since the atmospheric transfer unit is in an atmospheric environment, there is no need to use a vacuum countermeasure component for the first transfer means provided in the atmospheric transfer unit, the manufacturing cost of the substrate transfer device can be reduced, and maintenance of the substrate transfer device can be performed. It can be done easily. On the other hand, since the substrate processing in the chamber is performed in a vacuum environment, it is necessary to transport the substrate between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber in the vacuum environment. For this reason, it is necessary to use a vacuum countermeasure component for the movable holding portion where the substrate is transferred between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber. Here, the movable holding portion is rotatable about a vertical rotation axis, and is configured to be movable back and forth in the connecting direction between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber. That is, any configuration may be used as long as the movable holding portion is rotatable and can be moved back and forth in one axial direction. In addition, a single movable holding portion may be provided in one hermetic transfer chamber. Further, since each substrate holding part is located at both ends with the rotation axis of the movable holding part interposed therebetween, the horizontal holding position of each substrate holding part facing the chamber is made the same by rotating the movable holding part. be able to. Moreover, since each substrate holding part is made to oppose a chamber by rotating a movable holding part, the position of a board | substrate holding part can be changed by rotating a movable holding part. That is, each substrate holding part can be located on one horizontal plane. In other words, when the movable holding part is rotated around the vertical rotation axis, the position in the height direction of each substrate holding part facing the chamber can be made the same. As a result, when the substrate is transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber and when the substrate is transferred from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber, the position of the substrate holder (in the height direction) And the position in the horizontal direction), that is, the position of the substrate held by the substrate holder (the position in the height direction and the horizontal direction) need not be adjusted. As described above, the movable holding portion may be configured to be rotatable and can be moved back and forth in one axial direction, and it is sufficient that a single movable holding portion is provided in one hermetic transfer chamber. When the substrate is transferred between the transfer chamber and the chamber, it is not necessary to adjust the position (the height direction and the horizontal position) of the substrate held by the substrate holding unit. Since the means can be configured, it is not necessary to use many vacuum countermeasure parts for the second conveying means. As a result, the manufacturing cost of the substrate transfer apparatus can be suppressed, and maintenance of the substrate transfer apparatus can be easily performed.
Preferably, the position of each substrate holding part in the height direction when the movable holding part rotates about the rotation axis in the vertical direction is the same.
Preferably, the substrate can be transferred from the one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism to the one substrate holding unit at a position where the one substrate holding unit faces the atmospheric transfer unit, and the other substrate holding unit. The substrate can be transferred from the other substrate holding unit to the one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism at a position facing the atmospheric transfer unit.
Preferably, the connection direction between the atmospheric transfer unit and the airtight transfer chamber is substantially orthogonal to the connection direction of the airtight transfer chamber and the chamber.

  Here, the atmospheric transfer unit means a region in the atmospheric environment. Examples of the region in the atmospheric environment include an atmospheric chamber partitioned by a wall surface or the like, or a space in the atmospheric environment. Further, the airtight transfer chamber means an airtight chamber in which the room can be switched between an atmospheric environment and a vacuum environment.

  Preferably, the plurality of hermetic transfer chambers are respectively connected in the horizontal direction to the atmospheric transfer unit, and are connected in the horizontal direction to the plurality of chambers, respectively, and the second transfer means is Provided in each hermetic transfer chamber.

According to such a preferable configuration, the plurality of hermetic transfer chambers are respectively connected in the horizontal direction with respect to the atmospheric transfer unit, so that the first transfer means provided in the atmospheric transfer unit transfers the substrate to each hermetic transfer chamber. can do. That is, since the substrate can be transferred to each hermetic transfer chamber while sharing the first transfer means, the footprint can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the substrate transfer apparatus can be reduced. According to such a preferable configuration, the plurality of hermetic transfer chambers are connected to the plurality of chambers in the horizontal direction, and the second transfer means is provided in each of the hermetic transfer chambers. That is, since the second transfer means for transferring the substrate between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber is provided for each chamber, it is possible to obtain an even higher throughput.
Preferably, the atmospheric transfer unit and the plurality of hermetic transfer chambers are linearly connected.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate transfer method for transferring a substrate to the chamber connected to the hermetic transfer chamber using the substrate transfer apparatus, wherein one substrate holding portion is the chamber. A first step of rotating the movable holding portion so that the other substrate holding portion faces the chamber in a state where an unprocessed substrate which is a substrate not subjected to the processing is held; and the movable holding portion Is moved toward the chamber, and the second substrate holding unit holds the processed substrate which is the substrate subjected to the processing in the chamber, and the movable holding unit is moved to the hermetic transfer chamber. The third step of transferring the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding unit from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber, and the one base holding the unprocessed substrate. A fourth step of rotating the movable holding portion so that the holding portion faces the chamber; and the movable holding portion is moved toward the chamber to hold the one substrate holding portion with the substrate holding portion. A fifth step of transferring the unprocessed substrate from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber; a sixth step of retracting the movable holding portion toward the hermetic transfer chamber; and the atmospheric transfer mechanism holding the other substrate And a seventh step of transporting the processed substrate held by the unit to the substrate storage unit.
Preferably, an eighth step in which the atmospheric transfer mechanism transfers an unprocessed substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to an alignment unit, a ninth step in which the alignment unit adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate, and the atmosphere And a tenth step in which the transport mechanism transports the unprocessed substrate whose position is adjusted by the alignment unit to one of the two substrate holding units .
In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a substrate transfer method for transferring a substrate to a chamber for processing a substrate, which is connected to an airtight transfer chamber capable of switching between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment. The first transfer means provided in the atmospheric transfer unit for transferring the substrate is capable of transferring a substrate storage unit capable of storing a plurality of substrates and the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to the hermetic transfer chamber. And a second transfer means provided in the hermetic transfer chamber for transferring the substrate, which is rotatable about a vertical rotation axis, with both end portions sandwiching the rotation axis. Each of which has a movable holding portion having two substrate holding portions, and the movable holding portion rotates so that the substrate holding portion faces the chamber in the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber. And the hermetic transfer chamber and the cha The operation of moving back and forth in the connecting direction with the bar can be performed independently, and the other substrate holding unit holds an unprocessed substrate that is a substrate that has not been processed in the chamber. A first step of rotating the movable holding portion so that the substrate holding portion faces the chamber, and after the first step, the movable holding portion is moved in a connecting direction between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber. A second step of moving toward the chamber and holding the processed substrate, which is a substrate that has been processed in the chamber, by the other substrate holding unit; and directing the movable holding unit toward the hermetic transfer chamber The third step of transferring the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding unit from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber, and the one substrate holding holding the unprocessed substrate. Part A fourth step of rotating the movable holding portion so as to face the chamber, and after the fourth step, the movable holding portion is advanced toward the chamber in the connecting direction of the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber. And moving the unprocessed substrate held by the one substrate holding part from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber, and moving the movable holding part toward the hermetic transfer chamber. The sixth step and the atmospheric transfer mechanism hold the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding unit by moving the position of one end thereof to the other substrate holding unit by the one end. And a seventh step of transporting the substrate to the substrate storage unit.

  According to the substrate transfer method of the present invention, the first and second steps cause the other substrate holding unit to hold the unprocessed substrate that is the substrate that has not been processed in the chamber. A processed substrate, which is a substrate that has been processed in the chamber, is held. Thereafter, in the third to fifth steps, the processed substrate is held by another substrate holding unit and transferred from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber so that the one substrate holding unit holding the unprocessed substrate faces the chamber. The movable holding unit is rotated to transfer the unprocessed substrate held by one substrate holding unit from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber. Then, in the sixth step, the process in the chamber can be started by retracting the movable holding portion toward the hermetic transfer chamber. The movable holding part has two substrate holding parts, and even if an unprocessed substrate is transferred to one substrate holding part, it is possible to hold the processed substrate in another substrate holding part. Without waiting for the processing to complete, the processed substrate is transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber to the substrate storage unit, the unprocessed substrate stored in the substrate storage unit is transferred to the alignment unit, and the alignment unit is positioned on the unprocessed substrate. A series of steps of the seventh to tenth steps of carrying out the adjustment and transporting the unprocessed substrate whose position has been adjusted to one of the two substrate holding units can be started. For this reason, high throughput can be obtained. When the time required for processing in the chamber is longer than the time for executing the seventh to tenth steps, the seventh to tenth steps can be executed while the processing in the chamber is being performed on the substrate. As a result, even higher throughput can be obtained by preparing to transfer the unprocessed substrate to the chamber while processing the substrate in the chamber.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a substrate transport apparatus capable of obtaining a high throughput and a substrate transport method using the same.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the second conveying means shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the A direction. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate using the substrate transport apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate using the substrate transport apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate using the substrate transport apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate using the substrate transport apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 7 is a graph showing throughput for each processing time in the chamber for the substrate transfer apparatus according to the present embodiment and the conventional substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a timing chart of a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate using the substrate transport apparatus according to the present embodiment. FIG. 9 shows an example of a conventional substrate transfer apparatus.

  Hereinafter, a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, taking as an example a case where two chambers for etching a substrate are connected. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a substrate transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to this embodiment includes an atmospheric transfer unit 1, a first transfer unit 2, an airtight transfer chamber 3 called a load lock, and a second transfer unit 4. With. In the substrate transfer apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the two airtight transfer chambers 3 are connected to the atmospheric transfer unit 1 in the horizontal direction. Two hermetic transfer chambers 3 are connected to the chamber C in the horizontal direction.

  In the substrate transfer apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the atmospheric transfer unit 1 is a region in the atmospheric environment, and specifically, an atmospheric chamber partitioned by wall surfaces and filters. From the viewpoint of keeping the atmosphere transfer section 1 in a clean atmosphere, the configuration in which the atmosphere transfer section 1 is an atmosphere chamber as in the present embodiment is preferable, but the present invention is not limited to this and is in the atmosphere environment. It may be a space.

In the substrate transfer apparatus 100 of this embodiment, the hermetic transfer chamber 3 includes a gate valve 31 and a gate valve 32. The hermetic transfer chamber 3 is connected to the atmospheric transfer unit 1 through a gate valve 31. The hermetic transfer chamber 3 is connected to the chamber C through a gate valve 32. For this reason, by opening the gate valve 31, the hermetic transfer chamber 3 communicates with the atmospheric transfer unit 1 through the gate valve 31. Further, by opening the gate valve 32, the hermetic transfer chamber 3 communicates with the chamber C through the gate valve 32. On the other hand, by closing the gate valve 31 and the gate valve 32, the hermetic transfer chamber 3 can be hermetically sealed. The hermetic transfer chamber 3 further includes a vacuum pump (not shown) and a pressure adjusting unit (not shown), and the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 can be switched between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment. . Specifically, in a state where the chamber of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is sealed, the vacuum pump exhausts the gas in the hermetic transfer chamber 3 so that the chamber of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is in a predetermined reduced pressure state. You can switch to Thereafter, the pressure adjusting unit can switch the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to the atmospheric environment by introducing, for example, N ₂ gas as the pressure adjusting gas into the hermetic transfer chamber 3.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first transport means 2 provided in the atmospheric transport unit 1 includes a substrate storage unit 21 called a cassette that can store a plurality of substrates, and an alignment unit that adjusts the position of the substrate. 22 and an atmospheric transport mechanism 23 capable of transporting the substrate.

  The atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is a so-called three-axis cylindrical coordinate system atmospheric transfer robot that can transfer the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit 21 to the alignment unit 22 and also adjust the position of the substrate adjusted by the alignment unit 22. It can be transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber 3. Specifically, the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 holds the substrate at one end, the other end is fixed to the atmospheric transfer unit 1, and the one end is displaceable with respect to the other end. The atmospheric conveyance mechanism 23 of the present embodiment includes a first arm 231, a second arm 232, a third arm 233, a first shaft (not shown), and a second shaft (not shown). ), A third shaft (not shown), and a vertical movement drive unit (not shown). The first arm 231, the second arm 232, and the third arm 233 are provided horizontally. Specifically, the substrate is held by one end portion of the first arm 231, and the first shaft is provided in the vertical direction at the other end portion of the first arm 231. The other end portion of the first arm 231 is connected to one end portion of the second arm 232 via the first shaft. Specifically, the first arm 231 is attached to the second arm 232 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the first shaft. A second shaft is provided in the vertical direction at the other end of the second arm 232. The other end portion of the second arm 232 is connected to one end portion of the third arm 233 via the second shaft. Specifically, the second arm 232 is attached to the third arm 233 so as to be rotatable around the axis of the second shaft. A third shaft is provided in the vertical direction at the other end of the third arm 233. The other end of the third arm 233 is attached to the vertical movement drive unit via a third shaft, and the third arm 233 is rotatable around the axis of the third shaft. Due to the rotation of the first arm 231, the second arm 232, and the third arm 233, one end of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 is displaced in one plane with respect to the other end. The vertical movement drive unit is fixed to the atmospheric conveyance unit 1, and one end portion of the atmospheric conveyance mechanism 23 moves up and down due to the vertical movement drive unit moving the third shaft up and down. For this reason, one end of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 is displaced in the height direction with respect to the other end. Specifically, one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced to the respective positions of the substrate storage unit 21, the alignment unit 22, and the airtight transfer chamber 3 by these. In the present embodiment, the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 has three arms, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may have four or more arms.

  In this embodiment, the notch part is provided in the outer edge of the board | substrate, and an orientation flat or a notch can be illustrated as a notch part, for example. Further, the alignment unit 22 is provided at the lower part of the atmospheric transfer unit 1. The alignment unit 22 includes a rotation stage 221, a camera (not shown) that images a substrate placed on the rotation stage 221, and a substrate position detection unit (not shown). The rotation stage 221 can move up and down in the vertical direction from the lower part of the atmospheric transport unit 1 and can rotate about the axis in the vertical direction. The substrate placed on the rotation stage 221 is held by vacuum suction. The alignment unit 22 can adjust the position of the substrate. Specifically, the substrate placed on the rotation stage 221 is imaged by a camera, and the captured image is processed by the substrate position detection unit, whereby the position of the notch portion (rotation direction and horizontal direction) of the substrate is processed. ). Based on the amount of deviation between the current position (rotation direction position) of the notch portion of the substrate recognized by the substrate position detection unit and a predetermined target position (position in the rotation direction) of the notch portion of the substrate. The rotation stage 221 on which the substrate is placed is rotated so that the position in the rotation direction of the substrate can be adjusted. Also, based on the amount of deviation between the current position (horizontal position) of the notch portion of the substrate recognized by the substrate position detection unit and the target position (horizontal position) of the notch portion of the substrate determined in advance, For example, the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 can be displaced to the center of the substrate. As described above, the alignment unit 22 detects and adjusts the position of the substrate, and the one end portion of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 can reliably hold the substrate after the position adjustment. In the present embodiment, the position of the cutout portion of the substrate is recognized using a camera, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a laser distance meter called a line sensor is used. You may recognize the position of the notch part of a board | substrate by measuring an outer edge. In this embodiment, the position of the substrate in the rotation direction is adjusted by rotating the rotation stage 221 of the alignment unit 22 on which the substrate is placed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Rather, the position of the notch of the substrate recognized by the substrate position detector (the position in the rotation direction and the position in the horizontal direction) and the target position (the position in the rotation direction and the position in the rotation direction) of the predetermined notch of the substrate Based on the amount of deviation from the horizontal position), the position of one end of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 may be displaced to the center of the substrate, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second transfer means 4 provided in the hermetic transfer chamber 3 includes a movable holding portion 41. The movable holding part 41 is rotatable around a vertical rotation axis, and has two substrate holding parts 42 positioned at both ends with the rotation axis interposed therebetween. In addition, the movable holding portion 41 can move back and forth in the connecting direction between the airtight transfer chamber 3 and the chamber C connected to the airtight transfer chamber 3.

  The substrate holding part 42 is provided on the upper surface of both end portions of the movable holding part 41. Moreover, in this embodiment, each board | substrate holding | maintenance part 42 is located on one horizontal surface. When the substrate is placed on the substrate holding unit 42, the substrate holding unit 42 holds the substrate. In the present embodiment, the substrate holder 42 is preferably made of a material having a large coefficient of friction with the substrate so that the substrate placed on the substrate holder 42 is less likely to be displaced. Consists of

  FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of the second transport unit 4 shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from the A direction. As shown in FIG. 2A, the second transport unit 4 of the present embodiment further includes a rotation mechanism 43 and an advance / retreat mechanism 44. The advance / retreat mechanism 44 includes an advance / retreat unit 441 and a transport rail 442. The rotation mechanism 43 is provided below the advance / retreat mechanism 44. The rotating mechanism 43 includes an elevating means (not shown) that can be moved up and down, a rotating motor 431 attached to the elevating means, a rotating shaft 432 attached to the rotating motor 431, and a rotating shaft 432. And a support portion 433 attached to the. The advancing / retreating portion 441 has a through hole 443 through which the rotation shaft 432 and the support portion 433 can be inserted, and the transport rail 442 has a through hole 444 through which the rotation shaft 432 and the support portion 433 can be inserted. The movable holding portion 41 has a shape that fits with the through hole 444 and the tip of the rotating shaft 432 inserted through the through hole 443 so that the movable holding portion 41 can rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 432. The recessed part 411 which has is provided. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the movable holding portion 41 is rotated, the rotating shaft 432 and the support portion 433 are also raised by raising the elevating means. Accordingly, the rotation shaft 432 and the support portion 433 are sequentially inserted into the through hole 444 of the transport rail 442 and the through hole 443 of the advance / retreat portion 441, and the distal end portion of the rotation shaft 432 is fitted into the concave portion 411 of the movable holding portion 41. The support portion 433 comes into contact with the lower surface of the movable holding portion 41 and supports the movable holding portion 41. Further, when the elevating means is raised, the support portion 433 lifts the movable holding portion 41 and the movable holding portion 41 is separated from the advance / retreat portion 441. Thereafter, when the rotation motor 431 is rotated, the support portion 433 is rotated, and the movable holding portion 41 can be rotated integrally therewith. On the other hand, when the elevating means is lowered, the support portion 433 is lowered, and the movable holding portion 41 is again supported by the advance / retreat portion 441.

  As shown in FIG. 2C, the advancing / retreating portion 441 of the advancing / retreating mechanism 44 is connected to the transport rail 442 in the connecting direction of the airtight transport chamber 3 and the chamber C (the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 2C). It can move forward and backward. The advance / retreat mechanism 44 is constituted by, for example, a known single-axis stage. In a state where the advance / retreat portion 441 supports the movable holding portion 41, the advance / retreat portion 441 advances / retreats, so that the movable holding portion 41 also moves forward / backward. As the movable holding portion 41 moves toward the chamber C, the position of the one substrate holding portion 42 can be displaced into the chamber C.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the chamber C includes a mounting table C1 on which a substrate to be etched is placed. The mounting table C1 includes lift pin lifting / lowering means (not shown) that can be moved up and down, and lift pins (not shown) attached to the lift pin lifting / lowering means. When a substrate held by one substrate holding unit 42 is placed on the mounting table C1, the movable holding unit 41 is advanced until the one substrate holding unit 42 is positioned above the mounting table C1, and the lift pins are moved up and down. As the means rises, the lift pins rise and push the lower surface of the substrate held by one substrate holding portion 42 to lift the substrate. Thereafter, the movable holding portion 41 is moved backward, and the lift pin raising / lowering means is lowered, whereby the lift pin is lowered and the substrate is placed on the placement table C1. When the substrate mounted on the mounting table C1 is held by the one substrate holding part 42, the lift pins are lifted by lifting the lift pin raising / lowering means, and the lower surface of the substrate placed on the mounting table C1 is lowered. Press to lift the board. Thereafter, the movable holding portion 41 is moved forward until the one substrate holding portion 42 is positioned below the substrate, and the lift pin raising and lowering means is lowered, whereby the lift pin is lowered and the substrate is held by the one substrate holding portion 42. Is done.

  Hereinafter, a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate using the substrate transport apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described. In addition, a procedure for transporting, as an example, a case where ten unprocessed substrates W, which are substrates that are not subjected to processing in the chamber, are stored in the substrate storage unit 21 and 10 substrates are transported will be described. . Note that the nth substrate is referred to as a substrate Wn. Specifically, for example, the first unprocessed substrate W is referred to as an unprocessed substrate W1.

  3 to 6 are explanatory views of a substrate transport method for transporting a substrate to one chamber C using the substrate transport apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. In performing the substrate transfer method according to the present embodiment, the atmosphere transfer unit 1 is always an atmosphere environment, and the chamber C is always a vacuum environment. In the initial state of the substrate transfer apparatus 100, the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is an atmospheric environment, and the gate valve 31 and the gate valve 32 are closed.

  As shown in FIG. 3A, the first unprocessed substrate W <b> 1 stored in the substrate storage unit 21 is transferred to the atmosphere by displacing the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 to the substrate storage unit 21. It is held at one end of the mechanism 23. And as shown in FIG.3 (b), the position of the one end part of the atmospheric conveyance mechanism 23 holding the unprocessed substrate W1 is displaced from the substrate storage part 21 to the alignment part 22, and thereby the unprocessed substrate W1 is aligned with the alignment part 22. Transport to. Specifically, the position of one end of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 is displaced above the rotation stage 221 so that the unprocessed substrate W1 is placed on the rotation stage 221, and the rotation stage 221 is raised. As a result, the unprocessed substrate W <b> 1 is transferred to the rotation stage 221.

  The alignment unit 22 adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate W1. Specifically, the unprocessed substrate W1 placed on the rotation stage 221 is imaged by a camera, and the captured image is processed by the substrate position detection unit, whereby the position of the notched portion of the unprocessed substrate W1 ( Recognize the position in the rotation direction and horizontal direction). The amount of deviation between the current position (position in the rotation direction) of the notched portion of the unprocessed substrate W1 recognized by the substrate position detection unit and the target position (position in the rotation direction) of the notch portion of the predetermined substrate. Based on this, the rotation stage 221 on which the unprocessed substrate W1 is placed is rotated so that the unprocessed substrate W1 becomes a predetermined target position, thereby adjusting the position of the unprocessed substrate W1 in the rotation direction. . And the deviation | shift amount of the present position (horizontal position) of the notch part of the unprocessed substrate W1 recognized by the substrate position detection part and the target position (horizontal position) of the notch part of the predetermined substrate Based on the above, the position of one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced to the center of the unprocessed substrate W1, for example. As described above, after the alignment unit 22 detects and adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate W1, one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 holds the unprocessed substrate W1 after the position adjustment.

  As shown in FIG. 3C, the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced from the alignment unit 22 to the hermetic transfer chamber 3. Specifically, while the gate valve 31 is opened, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated so that one of the two substrate holding portions 42 (one substrate holding portion 42) faces the atmospheric transfer portion 1. Then, the position of one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced to one substrate holding portion 42. As a result, the unprocessed substrate W1 held at one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is transferred to one substrate holding unit 42, and the one substrate holding unit 42 holds the unprocessed substrate W1.

  As shown in FIG. 3D, the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced to the atmospheric transfer unit 1 so that one substrate holding unit 42 holding the unprocessed substrate W1 faces the chamber C. The movable holding part 41 is rotated. The gate valve 31 is closed to seal the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3. The vacuum pump exhausts the gas in the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to switch the interior of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to a vacuum environment.

  After the chamber of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to the vacuum environment, the gate valve 32 is opened to allow the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to communicate with the chamber C. As shown in FIG. 4A, by moving the movable holding portion 41 toward the chamber C, the position of one substrate holding portion 42 holding the unprocessed substrate W1 is displaced to the chamber C, and the unprocessed The substrate W1 is transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to the chamber C. On the other hand, the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 holds the second unprocessed substrate W <b> 2 stored in the substrate storage unit 21 at one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23. Then, as shown in FIG. 4B, after the unprocessed substrate W1 is transferred to the chamber C, the movable holding portion 41 is moved backward toward the hermetic transfer chamber 3. On the other hand, the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 transports the unprocessed substrate W2 to the alignment unit 22, and adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate W2 on which the alignment unit 22 is transported. After the movable holding part 41 moves back to the hermetic transfer chamber 3, the gate valve 32 is closed to seal the inside of the chamber C, and an etching process is started on the unprocessed substrate W1 in the chamber C.

As described above, while the alignment unit 22 adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate W2, the pressure adjustment unit introduces N ₂ gas into the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to switch the chamber of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to the atmospheric environment. After the interior of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to the atmospheric environment, the gate valve 31 is opened to allow the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to communicate with the atmospheric transfer unit 1. Then, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated so that one of the two substrate holding portions 42 (one substrate holding portion 42) faces the atmospheric transfer portion 1. Thereafter, the position of one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 that holds the unprocessed substrate W <b> 2 whose position has been adjusted is displaced to one substrate holding portion 42. Thereby, the unprocessed substrate W2 held at one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is transferred to the one substrate holding unit 42, and the one substrate holding unit 42 holds the unprocessed substrate W2.

  The position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced to the atmospheric transfer unit 1. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, in a state where one substrate holding unit 42 holds the unprocessed substrate W2, another substrate holding unit 42 that does not hold the unprocessed substrate W2 faces the chamber C. Thus, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated (first step).

  As described above, the gate valve 31 is closed, the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is sealed, and the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to a vacuum environment using a vacuum pump.

  After the etching process in the chamber C is completed, the gate valve 32 is opened to allow the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to communicate with the chamber C. As shown in FIG. 4D, by moving the movable holding portion 41 toward the chamber C, the position of the other substrate holding portion 42 is displaced to the chamber C, and the processed substrate W1 in the chamber C is moved. It is held by another substrate holding part 42 (second step).

  As shown in FIG. 5A, after the other substrate holding unit 42 holds the processed substrate W <b> 1, the movable holding unit 41 is moved backward toward the hermetic transfer chamber 3, whereby the other substrate holding unit 42. The processed substrate W1 held in step 1 is transferred from the chamber C to the hermetic transfer chamber 3 (third step).

  As shown in FIG. 5B, after the movable holding portion 41 is moved back to the hermetic transfer chamber 3, the movable holding portion 41 is set so that one substrate holding portion 42 holding the unprocessed substrate W2 faces the chamber C. Is rotated (fourth step).

  As shown in FIG. 5C, by moving the movable holding portion 41 toward the chamber C, the position of the one substrate holding portion 42 holding the unprocessed substrate W2 is displaced to the chamber C, and the unprocessed The substrate W2 is transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to the chamber C (fifth step).

  As shown in FIG. 5D, after the unprocessed substrate W2 is transferred to the chamber C, the movable holding portion 41 is moved back toward the hermetic transfer chamber 3 (sixth step). After the movable holding part 41 moves back to the hermetic transfer chamber 3, the gate valve 32 is closed to seal the inside of the chamber C, and the etching process is started on the unprocessed substrate W2 in the chamber C.

As described above, the pressure adjusting unit introduces N ₂ gas into the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to switch the interior of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to the atmospheric environment. After the interior of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to the atmospheric environment, the gate valve 31 is opened to allow the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to communicate with the atmospheric transfer unit 1. Then, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated so that the other substrate holding portion 42 that holds the processed substrate W <b> 1 faces the atmospheric transfer portion 1.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced to another substrate holding unit 42, and the processed substrate W <b> 1 held by the other substrate holding unit 42 is transferred to the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23. Hold at one end. As shown in FIG. 6B, after the processed substrate W1 is held by one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23, the position of one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced from the other substrate holding portion 42 to the substrate storage portion 21. As a result, the processed substrate W1 is transferred to the substrate storage unit 21 (seventh step). Thus, the processed substrate W1 is stored in the substrate storage unit 21. On the other hand, the gate valve 31 is closed. In the present embodiment, the gate valve 31 is closed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the gate valve 31 is opened when the time required for the eighth step and the ninth step described later is short. It may be left as it is.

  After the processed substrate W1 is stored in the substrate storage unit 21, the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 transfers the third unprocessed substrate W3 stored in the substrate storage unit 21 to the alignment unit 22 as described above. (Eighth step) The position of the unprocessed substrate W3 transported by the alignment unit 22 is adjusted (9th step). Thereafter, the gate valve 31 is opened, and as shown in FIG. 6C, the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 that holds the unprocessed substrate W3 whose position has been adjusted is set to one of the two substrate holding portions 42. By displacing to one (one substrate holding unit 42), the unprocessed substrate W3 held by one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is transferred to the one substrate holding unit 42, and the one substrate holding unit 42 is moved to the unprocessed substrate. W3 is held (tenth step). Then, as shown in FIG. 6D, the position of one end of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 is displaced to the atmospheric transport unit 1.

  Then, by repeating the first step to the tenth step, the unprocessed substrate W is sequentially transferred from the substrate storage unit 21 to the chamber C, and the processed substrate W is transferred from the chamber C to the substrate storage unit 21.

  After the tenth unprocessed substrate W10 is transferred by executing the eighth to tenth steps, the ninth processed substrate W9 is transferred to the substrate storage unit by executing the first to seventh steps. 21. Thereafter, the gate valve 31 is closed, the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is sealed, and the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to a vacuum environment using a vacuum pump.

  After the etching process in the chamber C is completed, the gate valve 32 is opened to allow the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to communicate with the chamber C. By moving the movable holding portion 41 toward the chamber C, the position of one substrate holding portion 42 is displaced to the chamber C, and the processed substrate W10 in the chamber C is held by the one substrate holding portion 42.

  After the one substrate holding part 42 holds the processed substrate W10, the movable holding part 41 is moved backward toward the hermetic transfer chamber 3, whereby the processed substrate W10 held by the one substrate holding part 42 is placed in the chamber C. To the hermetic transfer chamber 3. After the movable holding part 41 moves back to the hermetic transfer chamber 3, the gate valve 32 is closed.

The pressure adjusting unit introduces N ₂ gas into the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to switch the interior of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to the atmospheric environment. After the interior of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to the atmospheric environment, the gate valve 31 is opened to allow the hermetic transfer chamber 3 to communicate with the atmospheric transfer unit 1. Then, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated so that one substrate holding portion 42 holding the processed substrate W10 faces the atmospheric transfer portion 1.

  The position of one end portion of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 is displaced to one substrate holding portion 42, and the processed substrate W <b> 10 held by the one substrate holding portion 42 is held by one end portion of the atmospheric transport mechanism 23. After the processed substrate W10 is held by one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23, the position of the one end portion of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is displaced from the one substrate holding portion 42 to the substrate storage portion 21, whereby the processed substrate W10 is transferred to the substrate. It is conveyed to the storage unit 21. Thus, the processed substrate W10 is stored in the substrate storage unit 21.

  The procedure for transporting the substrate to one chamber C (hereinafter referred to as chamber CA) has been described so far, but the substrate can be transported to another chamber C (hereinafter referred to as chamber CB) by the same procedure. For example, when 10 unprocessed substrates W, which are substrates that are not subjected to processing in the chamber, are stored in the substrate storage unit 21 and 10 substrates are transferred, the substrate may be transferred according to the following procedure. Is possible. First, after the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 transfers the first unprocessed substrate W1 to one airtight transfer chamber 3 (hereinafter referred to as the airtight transfer chamber 3A), the second unprocessed substrate W2 is transferred to another airtight transfer chamber. 3 (hereinafter referred to as airtight transfer chamber 3B). Then, while the unprocessed substrate W1 is transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber 3A to the chamber CA and the unprocessed substrate W1 is being etched in the chamber CA, the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 moves the third unprocessed substrate W3. Is transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber 3A. On the other hand, while the unprocessed substrate W2 is transported from the hermetic transport chamber 3B to the chamber CB and the unprocessed substrate W2 is being etched in the chamber CB, the atmospheric transport mechanism 23 performs the fourth unprocessed substrate W4. Is transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber 3B. After that, the process from the first step may be performed on the substrates transferred to the chamber CA and the chamber CB. As a result, the odd-numbered unprocessed substrates are etched in the chamber CA, and the even-numbered unprocessed substrates are etched in the chamber CB.

  FIG. 7 is a graph showing throughput for each processing time in the chamber for the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment and the conventional substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 9 (hereinafter referred to as a conventional substrate transfer apparatus). It is. In FIG. 7, the throughput of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is plotted with “♦”, and the throughput of the conventional substrate transfer apparatus is plotted with “●”. Here, the throughput means the number of substrates to be etched in the chamber per unit time.

  As shown in FIG. 7, it was confirmed that the substrate transport apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment can obtain a higher throughput than the conventional substrate transport apparatus. The reason why the difference in throughput between the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to this embodiment and the conventional substrate transfer apparatus differs depending on the chamber processing time will be described. When the processing time in the chamber is 1 minute, the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment ends the processing in the chamber before the preparation for transferring the unprocessed substrate W to the chamber is completed. As a result, the throughput is slightly improved as compared with the substrate transfer apparatus. When the processing time in the chamber is 2 minutes or more, the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is ready to transfer the unprocessed substrate W to the chamber while the processing in the chamber is being performed on the substrate. To do. Specifically, while the processing in the chamber is being performed on the substrate, the position of the unprocessed substrate W is adjusted, and the unprocessed substrate W whose position is adjusted is held in one of the two substrate holding units 42. Can be made. As a result, since the movable holding unit 41 can transfer the unprocessed substrate W to the chamber C immediately after the processed substrate is transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber 3, the throughput is significantly improved as compared with the conventional substrate transfer apparatus. Result. However, as the processing time in the chamber becomes longer, the influence of the processing time in the chamber on the throughput becomes dominant. Therefore, the difference in throughput between the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to this embodiment and the conventional substrate transfer apparatus is the chamber. The processing time becomes smaller as the processing time becomes longer.

  FIG. 8 is a timing chart of the substrate transfer method using the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment when the processing time in the chamber is 3 minutes. Specifically, FIG. 8 is a timing chart showing operations performed during the time indicated in “Elapsed time (minutes)” and the position of the substrate W. In order to make the figure easy to see, the timing chart is divided into upper and lower parts. Specifically, the timing chart until 13 minutes elapse is shown in the upper diagram, and the timing chart after 13 minutes has elapsed is shown in the lower diagram. “One chamber CA”, “One airtight transfer chamber 3A”, “Atmospheric transfer unit 1”, “Other airtight transfer chamber 3B”, and “Other chamber CB” are the operations performed in the respective locations. Is shown. Here, “T1” means that the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 transfers the unprocessed substrate W stored in the substrate storage unit 21 to the alignment unit 22, and the alignment unit 22 adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate W. The unprocessed substrate W whose position is adjusted by the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is transferred to one of the two substrate holding portions 42 (one substrate holding portion 42), the gate valve 31 is opened, and one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 is transferred. This means that the position of the part is displaced to the atmospheric transfer part 1 and the gate valve 31 is closed. In “T2”, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated so that the one substrate holding portion 42 holding the unprocessed substrate W faces the chamber C, the gate valve 32 is opened, and the movable holding portion 41 is moved to the chamber C. This means that the unprocessed substrate W is transported toward the chamber C, the movable holding portion 41 is moved back toward the hermetic transport chamber 3, and the gate valve 32 is closed. In “T3”, the gate valve 32 is opened to move the movable holding portion 41 toward the chamber C, the other substrate holding portion 42 holds the processed substrate W, and the movable holding portion 41 is moved to the hermetic transfer chamber. 3 means to retreat. In “T4”, the movable holding portion 41 is rotated so that the other substrate holding portion 42 holding the processed substrate W faces the atmospheric transfer portion 1, the gate valve 31 is opened, and the other substrate holding portion is opened. This means that the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 transfers the processed substrate W held by 42 to the substrate storage unit 21 and closes the gate valve 31. “TP” means that the unprocessed substrate W is etched. “V1” means that the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to a vacuum environment. “V2” means that the inside of the hermetic transfer chamber 3 is switched to the atmospheric environment. Note that “T1 (Wn)” means that the operation of “T1” is performed on the nth substrate Wn. For example, “T1 (W1)” means “on the first substrate W1” This means that the operation of “T1” is performed. The columns “Substrate W1” to “Position of Substrate W10” indicate the locations where the transported substrates W1 to W10 are located. For example, “the position of the substrate W1” indicates the position of the first substrate W1. Here, “1” means that the substrate W is located in the atmospheric transfer unit 1. “3A” means that the substrate W is located in one airtight transfer chamber 3A. “3B” means that the substrate W is located in another hermetic transfer chamber 3B. “CA” means that the substrate W is located in one chamber CA. “CB” means that the substrate W is located in another chamber CB.

  The thick frame line shown in the timing chart of FIG. 8 indicates that the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 transfers the processed substrate to the substrate storage unit 21 while the processing in the chamber C is performed on the unprocessed substrate, and the alignment unit 22 Indicates that the position of the next unprocessed substrate is adjusted and the unprocessed substrate whose position is adjusted by the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 can be transferred to one substrate holding unit 42. Specifically, for example, while the one chamber CA is processing the third unprocessed substrate W3 (TP (W3)), the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 transfers the first processed substrate W1 to the substrate. Then, the alignment unit 22 adjusts the position of the fifth unprocessed substrate W5 and the atmospheric transfer mechanism 23 adjusts the unprocessed substrate W5 whose position is adjusted to one substrate holding unit 42. (T1 (W5)). As a result, immediately after the movable holding unit 41 transports the third processed substrate W3 to the hermetic transport chamber 3 (T3 (W3)), the unprocessed substrate W5 is transported to the chamber C (T2 (W5)). Therefore, it can be said that high throughput can be obtained.

Next, when comparing the footprints of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment and the conventional substrate transfer apparatus shown in FIG. 9, the footprint of the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment is the conventional substrate transfer apparatus. It was found to be 90% of the footprint. This is because in the conventional substrate transfer apparatus, it is necessary to connect the load locks 3 and the like radially to the vacuum transfer chamber 5, which increases the dead space. In contrast, in the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, since the atmospheric transfer unit 1, the hermetic transfer chamber 3A, and the hermetic transfer chamber 3B are linearly connected, the dead space can be reduced. is there.
In the substrate transfer apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the chamber CA and the chamber CB are connected along the airtight transfer chamber 3A and the airtight transfer chamber 3B that are linearly connected. The side (the side opposite to the side to which the airtight transfer chamber 3A or the airtight transfer chamber 3B is connected) is in a straight line, and it is easy to arrange auxiliary equipment such as a chiller (constant temperature circulating tank) and a vacuum pump.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the substrate transfer apparatus that transfers the substrate to the two chambers C has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and even one chamber C includes three or more chambers C. Also good.
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the processing in the chamber C performs the etching processing has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a film forming processing or the like.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Atmospheric transfer part 2 ... 1st transfer means 3 ... Airtight transfer chamber 4 ... 2nd transfer means 21 ... Substrate storage part 22 ... Alignment part 23 ... Atmosphere Transfer mechanism 31, 32 ... Gate valve 41 ... Movable holding portion 42 ... Substrate holding portion 43 ... Turning mechanism 44 ... Advance / retract mechanism 100 ... Substrate transfer device C ... Chamber W: Untreated substrate, treated substrate

Claims (8)

A substrate transfer apparatus for transferring a substrate to a chamber for processing the substrate,
An atmospheric transfer unit, a first transfer unit that is provided in the atmospheric transfer unit and transfers a substrate, and is connected to the atmospheric transfer unit in a horizontal direction and connected to the chamber in a horizontal direction, An airtight transfer chamber capable of switching between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment, and a second transfer means provided in the airtight transfer chamber for transferring a substrate,
The first conveying means includes
A substrate storage section capable of storing a plurality of substrates;
An atmospheric transfer mechanism capable of transferring the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to the hermetic transfer chamber;
The second conveying means includes
Comprising a movable holding part having two substrate holding parts which can be turned around a turning axis in the vertical direction, and are respectively located at both ends across the turning axis;
The movable holding unit is moved back and forth in the direction of connection between the operation and to rotate such that the substrate holder in the chamber of the airtight transport chamber is located opposite the front Symbol chamber, the airtight transport chamber and the chamber operation and I independently executable der to, after the substrate holder is rotated so that the position facing the chamber, is capable of advancing and retreating in the direction of connection between the airtight transport chamber and the chamber ,
The substrate holding unit is capable of holding the substrate transferred to the hermetic transfer chamber when the position of one end of the atmospheric transfer mechanism is displaced to the substrate holding unit,
The movable holding portion rotates and advances and retreats so that the substrate transferred by the atmospheric transfer mechanism and held by the one substrate holding portion can be transferred from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber. A substrate which is positioned inside and held by the other substrate holder can be transferred from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber,
The atmospheric transfer mechanism can hold the substrate held by the other substrate holding portion by moving the position of the one end portion to the other substrate holding portion and transfer the substrate to the substrate storage portion. A substrate transfer apparatus characterized by the above. The movable holding unit is arranged so that the substrate holding unit is positioned opposite to the chamber in a state where the gate valve located between the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber is closed in the chamber of the hermetic transfer chamber. It is possible to perform a rotating motion,
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1. The second conveying means further includes a rotation mechanism and an advance / retreat mechanism,
The advance / retreat mechanism has an advance / retreat portion and a transport rail,
The rotation mechanism is provided below the advance / retreat mechanism, and can be moved up and down, a rotation motor attached to the elevation means, a rotation shaft attached to the rotation motor, A support portion attached to the rotating shaft;
The advance / retreat portion has a first through hole into which the rotation shaft and the support portion can be inserted,
The transport rail has a second through hole through which the rotating shaft and the support portion can be inserted,
The movable holding portion is fitted to a tip portion of the rotating shaft inserted through the first through hole and the second through hole, and the movable holding portion can be rotated integrally with the rotating shaft. A recess having a shape of
The substrate transport apparatus of claim 1 or 2, characterized in that. A plurality of the airtight transfer chambers are respectively connected in the horizontal direction with respect to the atmospheric transfer unit, and are connected in the horizontal direction with respect to the plurality of chambers,
The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second transfer unit is provided in each of the hermetic transfer chambers. The substrate transfer apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the atmospheric transfer unit and the plurality of hermetic transfer chambers are linearly connected. A substrate transfer method for transferring a substrate in said chamber connected to said airtight conveying chamber using a substrate transfer apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
While the one substrate holding unit holds an unprocessed substrate that is not subjected to processing in the chamber, the movable holding unit is rotated so that the other substrate holding unit faces the chamber. A first step of
A second step of moving the movable holding portion toward the chamber and holding the processed substrate, which is a substrate subjected to processing in the chamber, in the other substrate holding portion;
A third step of transferring the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding unit from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber by retracting the movable holding unit toward the hermetic transfer chamber;
A fourth step of rotating the movable holding unit so that the one substrate holding unit holding the unprocessed substrate faces the chamber;
A fifth step of transferring the unprocessed substrate held by the one substrate holding part from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber by moving the movable holding part toward the chamber;
A sixth step of retracting the movable holding portion toward the hermetic transfer chamber;
A seventh step in which the atmospheric transfer mechanism transfers the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding unit to the substrate storage unit ;
The board | substrate conveyance method characterized by including. An eighth step in which the atmospheric transfer mechanism transfers the unprocessed substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to the alignment unit;
  A ninth step in which the alignment unit adjusts the position of the unprocessed substrate;
  A tenth step in which the atmospheric transfer mechanism transfers the unprocessed substrate whose position has been adjusted by the alignment unit to one of the two substrate holding units;
The substrate transfer method according to claim 6, further comprising: A substrate transfer method for transferring a substrate to a chamber for processing a substrate, which is connected to an airtight transfer chamber capable of switching between a vacuum environment and an atmospheric environment.
The first transfer means that is provided in the atmospheric transfer unit and transfers the substrate includes a substrate storage unit that can store a plurality of substrates, and an atmospheric transfer that can transfer the substrate stored in the substrate storage unit to the hermetic transfer chamber. A mechanism,
The second transfer means that is provided in the hermetic transfer chamber and transfers the substrate is rotatable about a vertical rotation axis, and two substrate holders located at both ends of the rotation axis. A movable holding part having
The movable holding portion rotates in the airtight transfer chamber so that the substrate holding portion faces the chamber, and moves forward and backward in the connecting direction of the airtight transfer chamber and the chamber. And can be executed independently,
While the one substrate holding unit holds an unprocessed substrate that is not subjected to processing in the chamber, the movable holding unit is rotated so that the other substrate holding unit faces the chamber. A first step of
After the first step, the movable holding portion is moved toward the chamber in the connecting direction of the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber, and the other substrate holding portion is subjected to processing in the chamber. A second step of holding the processed substrate,
A third step of transferring the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding unit from the chamber to the hermetic transfer chamber by retracting the movable holding unit toward the hermetic transfer chamber;
A fourth step of rotating the movable holding unit so that the one substrate holding unit holding the unprocessed substrate faces the chamber;
After the fourth step, the unprocessed substrate held by the one substrate holder is moved by moving the movable holder toward the chamber in the connecting direction of the hermetic transfer chamber and the chamber. A fifth step of transferring from the hermetic transfer chamber to the chamber;
A sixth step of retracting the movable holding portion toward the hermetic transfer chamber;
The atmospheric transfer mechanism displaces the position of the one end portion to the other substrate holding portion, thereby holding the processed substrate held by the other substrate holding portion at the one end portion, and storing the substrate A seventh step of transporting to the section;
The board | substrate conveyance method characterized by including.